Lesson 1 - An Introduction to Philippine Historiography: Sources and Discourses 2 An Introduction to Philippine Historiography: Sources and Discourses Learning Objectives: By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to: • Define history • Differentiate history from historiography • Restate the sources of history • Analyze how historians write a history • Recall some Filipino historians and their contributions to historiography Introduction History deals with the study of past events. Individuals who write about history are called historians. They seek to understand the present by examining what went before. They undertake arduous historical research to come up with a meaningful and organized reconstruction of the past. But whose past are we talking about? This is a basic question that a historian needs to answer because this sets the purpose and framework of a historical account. Hence, a salient feature of historical writing is the facility to give meaning and impart value to a particular group of people about their past. The practice of historical writing is called historiography. Traditional method in doing historical research focuses on gathering of documents from different libraries and archives to form a pool of evidence needed in making a descriptive or analytical narrative. However, modern historical writing does not only include examination of documents but also the use of research methods from related areas study such as archaeology and geography. Sources of History Basic to historical research is utilization of sources. There are diverse sources of history including documentary sources or documents, archaeological records, and oral and video accounts. To date, most of our historical sources are documents. These refer to handwritten, printed, drawn, designed, and other composed materials. These include books, newspapers, magazines, journals, maps, architectural perspectives, paintings, advertisements, and photographs. Colonial records such as government reports and legal documents form a significant part of our collection of documents here and abroad, particularly in Spain and the United States. In the 20th century and up to now, memoirs or personal accounts written by important historical personages constitute another type of documents. Philippine presidents such as Emilio Aguinaldo, Manuel Quezon, and Diosdado Macapagal wrote their memoirs to highlight their roles as nation-builders. On the other hand, archaeological records refer to preserved remains of human beings, their activities, and the environment where they lived. In the Philippines, the most significant excavated human remains include the Callao Man’s toe bone (dated 67 000 BCE) and the Tabon Man’s skullcap (22 000 BCE). Aside from human remains, other archaeological records are generally categorized as fossils and artifacts. Fossils are remains of animals, plants, and other organisms from the distant past, while artifacts are remnants of material culture developed by human beings. These include clothing, farm implements, jewelry, pottery and stone tools. Oral and video accounts form the third kind of historical source. These are audiovisual documentation of people, events, and places. These are usually recorded in video and audio cassettes, and compact discs. Aside from scholars, media people also use oral and video accounts as part of their news and public affairs work. Primary and Secondary Sources There are two general kinds of historical sources: primary and secondary. Primary Sources refer to documents, physical objects, and oral/video accounts made by an individual or a group present at the time and place being described. These materials provide facts from people who actually witnessed the event. Secondary sources, on the other hand, are materials made by people long after the events being described had taken place. Most historical narratives today are so reliant on documentary sources due to the plethora of written records and the lack of archaeological records and oral/video memoirs. Although having several documents about an event allows for easier counterchecking of facts history researchers are confronted with one basic challenge with regard primary sources- their ability to read and understand texts in foreign languages. Many of our untapped archival documents here and abroad are written in Spanish. A good knowledge of Spanish is a huge advantage. But this skill is unusual among today’s historians who prefer to read translations of Spanish texts such as the 55-volume. The Philippine Islands, 1493- 1898 (1903-1909) edited by Emma Blair and James Robertson, which is the most cited collection of primary sources about the Philippines before the advent of the American colonial regime. The collection includes translations of portions of 16th - century chronicles such as Antonio Pigafetta’s Primo Viaggio intorno al mundo (1524), Miguel Loarca’s Relacion de las Yslas Filipinas (1582), and Juan de Plasencia’s Relacion de las Islas Pilipinas (1592). Filipino historians, such as the father-daughter tandem of Gregorio Zaide and Sonio Zaide, have also compiled and translated colonial documents. They published the 10- volume Documentary Sources of Philippine History (1994). Aside from reading the Spanish originals documents or translated words, another daunting task for Filipino historians is to discern the cultural context and historical value of primary sources because most of these primary documents were written by colonialists and reflected Western cultural frames. For examples, derogatory terms used to Label Filipinos such as “pagan,” “uncivilized,” “wild,” and “savage” abound in these colonial documents. Uncovering myths and misconceptions about Filipino cultural identity propagated by the Spanish and American colonizers is extra challenging for contemporary Filipino scholars. If the key function of primary source documents is to give facts, secondary source documents, on the other hand, provide valuable interpretations of historical events. The works of eminent historians such as Teodoro Agoncillo and Renato Constantino are good examples of secondary sources. In his interpretation of the Philippine Revolution, Agoncillo divided the revolution into two phases: the first phase covers the years from the start of the revolution in August 1896 to the flight of Emilio Aguinaldo and company to Hong Kong as a result of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato, while the second phase spans from Aguinaldo’s return to Manila from Hong Kong until his surrender to the Americans in March 1901. However, Constantino refuted Agoncillo’s leader-centric scheme of dividing the revolution into two phases by stressing that Agoncillo’s viewpoint implied that the revolution came to a halt when Aguinaldo left the country. Constantino disputed the soundness of Agoncillo’s two-phase scheme by asserting that the war of independence continued even without Aguinaldo’s presence in the country. Aside from the issue on Philippine Revolution, there are other contending issues in Philippine history such as the venue of the first Christian mass in the country and the question of who deserves to be named national hero. By and large, interpretations serve as tools of discernment for readers of historical sources, but they should be cautious of frames of analysis used for biased, discriminatory, and self-serving ends. Historical Criticism Many documents have primary and secondary segments. For instance, examining a newspaper as a historical source entails a discerning mind to identify its primary and secondary components. A news item written by a witness of an event is considered as a primary source, while a feature article is usually considered as a secondary material. Similarly, a book published a long time ago does not necessarily render it as a primary source. It requires a meticulous reading of the document to know its origin. To ascertain the authenticity and reliability of primary sources to be used in crafting a narrative, a historian needs to employ two levels of historical criticism, namely, external criticism and internal criticism. External criticism answers concerns and questions pertinent to the authenticity of a historical source by identifying that composed the historical material, locating when and where the historical material was produced, and establishing the material’s evidential value. Internal criticism, on the other hand, deals with the credibility and reliability of the content of a given historical source. This kind of criticism focuses on understanding the substance and message that the historical materials wants to convey by examining how the author frame the intent and meaning of a composed material. Locating Primary Sources There are substantial primary sources about the Philippines here and abroad. In the country, government institutions such as the National Library and the National Archives are major repositories of documentary sources. The National Library has complete microfilm copies of the Philippine Revolutionary Records (1896-1901), a compilation of captured documents of Emilio Aguinaldo’s revolutionary government, and Historical Data Papers (1952-1953), a collection of “history and cultural life” of all towns in the country spearheaded by public school teachers during President Elpidio Quirino’s term. The Manuscript’s Section of the National Library’s Filipiniana Division contains the presidential papers of different administrations from Manuel Quezon to Joseph Ejercito. Search aids such as the “Checklist of Rare Filipiniana Serials (1811-1914),” “Filipiniana Serials in Microfilm,” and several registers of Philippine presidential papers are provided for faster and easier way to look for historical materials. The National Archives, on the other hand, holds a substantial collection of catalogued and uncatalogued Spanish documents about the Philippines composed from 1552 to 1900. These consist of 432 document categories such as Administration Central de Rentas y Propiedades (Central Administration of Rentals and Properties), Administration de Hacienda Publica (Administration of Public Finance), Aduana de Manila (Customs Office of Manila), Almacenes Generales (General Stores), Asuntos Criminales (Criminal matters), Ayuntamiento de Manila (Town Council of Manila), Colera (Cholera), Padron General de Chinos (General register of Chinese), and Presos (Prisoners). For local historians, valuable materials from the National Archives include Cabezas de Barangay (Heads of Barangay), Ereccion de los Pueblos (Establishment of Towns), Guia Oficial (Official Guide), and Memorias (Official Reports of Provincial Governors), Aside from Spanish sources, the National Archives is also the repository of 20th -century documents such as civil records, notarial documents, and Japanese wartime crime records. There are also some sources written in Tagalog such as the documents pertinent to Apolinario de la Cruz, the leader of the Coonfradia de San Jose in the 19th century. Academic institutions such as the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, University of Santos Tomas in Manila, Silliman University in Dumaguete City, and University of San Carlos in Cebu City have also substantial library and archival holdings. The Media Services Section of the UP Main Library has microfilm copies of Philippine Radical Papers, a compilation of documents relevant to the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP) and its allied organizations as well a People’s Court Proceedings, a collection of court proceedings against Filipino leaders who corporate with the Japanese during their short-lived occupation. The Ateneo de Manila’s Rizal Library houses the American Historical Collection that consists of vital documents relevant to the American experience such as the Reports of the Philippine Commission (1901-1909), Annual Reports of the Governors-General of the Philippine Islands (1916-1935), and records of the Philippine legislature from 1907 to 1934. Privately owned museums and archives, such as the Ayala Museum in Makati and Lopez Museum in Pasig City, have also considerable historical resources. Religious congregations such as the Augustinians, Dominicans, Jesuits, and Recollects also have extensive archival holdings that remain untapped. Outside the Philippines, there are several documents about the country found in Spain and the United States. The bulk of Spanish documents are found at the Archivo General de Indias in Sevilla, Spain. Important American sources are available at the Manuscript Division of the United States Library of Congress, Harvard University’s Houghton Library, United States National Archives, and the University of Michigan’s Bentley Historical Library. In this age of Internet, there are open access online archives on Filipino history and culture, such as the extensive digital Filipiniana collection of the University of Michigan, which consists of manuscripts and photographs of the early part of 20th century Philippines. Another rich online source of primary documents is the University of Illinois at Chicago Field Museum. It houses the extensive photographic collection of Dean Worcester, the secretary of Interior of the American colonial government in the country from 1901 to 1913. Colonial Historiography Philippine historiography has changed significantly since the 20th century. For a long time, Spanish colonizers presented our history in two parts: a period of darkness or backwardness before they arrived and a consequent period of advancement or enlightenment when they came. Spanish chroniclers wrote a lot about the Philippines but their historical accounts emphasized the primacy of colonization to liberate Filipinos from their backward “barbaric” life ways In the same manner, American colonial writers also shared the same worldview of their predecessors by rationalizing their colonization of Filipinos as a way to teach the natives of the “civilized lifestyle” which they said the Spaniards forgot to impart including personal hygiene and public administration. Colonial narratives have portrayed Filipinos as a people bereft of an advanced culture and a respectable history. This perception challenged Filipino intellectuals beginning in the 1800s to rectify such cultural bias or prejudice. In 1890, Jose Rizal came out with an annotation of Antonio de Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (Events in the Philippine Islands), a book originally published in 1609. He used de Morga’s book, a rare Spanish publication that positively viewed precolonial Filipino culture, as a retort to the arrogant Spaniards. However, cultural bias against Filipino culture continued even after Rizal’s death and the end of Spanish colonialism. Jose Rizal Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas Learning from the fate of its colonial predecessor, the United States did not only use brute force but also affected ingenious ways of pacification such as the use of education as a tool to control their subjects and increase political and economic power of the elite few. These colonial instruments were so ingrained among Filipinos that they perceived their colonial past in two ways: initially maltreated by “wicked Spain” but later rescued by “benevolent America.” This kind of historical consciousness has effectively erased from the memories of Filipino generations the bloody Philippine-American War as exemplified by the Balangiga Massacre in Eastern Samar and the Battle of Bud Bagsak in Sulu. Consequently, such perception breathes new life to the two-part view of history: a period of darkness before the advent of the United States and an era of enlightenment during the American colonial administration. This view has resonated with Filipino scholars even after the Americans granted our independence in 1946. Philippine Historiography after World War II The stark reality of Filipino historians thinking like their colonial counterpart’s during the postcolonial period troubled a small group of professors and cultural workers who were mostly alumni of the University of the Philippines. This spurred the emergence of Filipino scholars who challenged the narrow view of colonial narratives and developed historical writing from the viewpoint of a nationalist agenda. In the 1950s, Teodoro Agoncillo pioneered nationalist historiography in the country by highlighting the role of the Filipino reformists and revolutionaries from 1872, the year that saw the execution of the Gomburza priests, to the end of the Philippine Revolution as the focal point of the country’s nation-building narrative. Two of his most celebrated books focus on the impact of the Philippine Revolution: The Revolt of the Masses: The story of Bonifacio and the Katipunan (1956) and Malolos: The Crisis of the Republic (1960). His writings veered away from emphasizing Spanish colonial period and regarded events before 1872 as part of the country’s “lost history.” This discourse of “lost history” was not accepted by another known scholar, Renato Constantino, whose published work entitled “The Miseducation of the Filipino” became a staple reading for academics and activists beginning in the late1960s. Constantino advanced the idea of a “people’s history” – a study of the past that sought to analyze society by searching out people’s voices from colonial historical materials that typically rendered Filipinos as decadent, inept and vile. Following this mode of historical inquiry, he authored The Philippines: A Past Revisited (1975), a college textbook that offered a more critical reading of Philippine history compared to Agoncillo’s History of the Filipino People (1973). Undoubtedly, these two nationalist scholars inspired or challenged other historians to reevaluate the country’s national history. Three other Filipino historians set new directions in redefining Philippine historiography in the last 30 years of the 20th century. The first of these scholars is Zeus Salazar who conceptualized “Pantayong Pananaw” as an approach to understanding the past from our own cultural frame and language. He emphasized the value of our Austronesian roots to defining Filipino culture and encouraged other scholars to conduct outstanding historical researches in Filipino such as the work of Jaime Veneracion’s Kasaysayan ng Bulacan (1986). RENATO ELITO Equally important is the contribution of Reynaldo Ileto who wrote about his “history from below” treatise in his ground-breaking work, Pasyon and Revolution: Popular Movements in the Philippines, 1840-1910 (1979). In this work, Ileto endeavored to recognize the way of thinking of ordinary folks by using alternative historical sources such as folk songs and prayers. His other works spurred new interpretations of common topics such as Jose Rizal, Philippine-American War, and American colonization. There is Samuel Tan, another prolific historian who is remembered for mainstreaming the role and relevance of Filipino Muslims in the country’s national history. His definitive work, The Filipino Muslim Armed Struggle, 1900-1972 (1978), sougth to examine the struggle of Filipino Muslims in the context of 20th –century nation-building dynamics during the American colonial regime and subsequent postcolonial Filipino administrations. In his book, A History of the Philippines (1987), Tan tempted to write a national history reflective of the historical experiences not only of lowland Christianized Filipinos but also of the other different cultural communities in the archipelago. Since the latter part of the 20th century, there have been considerable changes in the way historians compose our national history. However, contemporary Philippine historiography still continues to be characterized by the dominance of political narratives, colonial histories, elite-centric perspective, and patriarchal orientation as well as emphasis on lowland Christianized Filipinos Political Narratives Most of our national histories today favor narratives that deal with the political aspects of nation-building such as the legacies of political leaders and establishment of different government. Questions such as the following are focal points in these narratives. Who was the first Spanish governor-general vital in implementing the encomienda policy? Who was the governor-general responsible for the massive employment of Filipinos in the American colonial bureaucracy? Who served as the last president of the Philippine Commonwealth and the inaugural chief executive of the Third Republic? Who was the Philippine president responsible for the declaration of martial law? The challenge for present-day historians is to present a more holistic history that goes beyond politics by means of integrating other aspects of nation-building such as its economic and cultural aspects. Colonial Histories in Historical Narratives Another weakness of most national histories is the importance given to colonial histories. This continues to breed Filipinos who are more familiar with stories about our colonial history rather than stories of our precolonial past. Up to now, some social studies textbooks misrepresent ancient Filipinos as savages or barbarians by portraying colonizers, especially the Spaniards and American, as liberators of the Filipinos from cultural backwardness. The key to uncover such cultural prejudices is to examine available historical sources and to write about our past by understanding the myths and misconceptions that characterized the Filipino culture for centuries. Elite-centric Perspective in Historical Narratives Some historical narratives focus on the contributions of the elite in nation-building such as what the Illustrados (educated Filipinos) fought for in the 19th century or how the local politicians negotiated with their American counterparts to obtain an independence law during the first half of the 20th century. Though eminent historians such as Constantino and Ileto reiterated the importance of a “people’s history” and “history from below,” respectively, so much has to be done in terms of writing about the roles played by ordinary people in our history. Patriarchal Orientation in Historical Narratives Most of the country’s historical narratives highlight the heroism of men in different ways: leading revolts and liberation wars against colonizers, championing the cause of independence, and spearheading political and economic development. Women, on the other hand, are viewed by several historians as merely support to men. Let us take for example the women leaders such as Gabriela Silang, Tandang Sora, and Corazon Aquino. Silang assumed the leadership of the Ilocos revolt after her husband was murdered in May 1763. Tandang Sora’s decision to offer her barn and farm to revolutionaries in August 1896 was linked to her son’s involvement in the Katipunan. Aquino rose to prominence as a martyr’s widow who led a movement to depose a dictatorship in February 1986. These representations show women’s roles as consequences of their connection to the men in their lives. With this bias in mind, it is imperative for contemporary historians to use gender-sensitive approaches in understanding history to avoid typecasting women as dependent, emotional, less important, passive, submissive, and weak. Emphasis on Lowland Christianized Filipinos National histories tend to show partially toward lowland Christianized Filipinos at the expense of other cultural communities such as Muslim Filipinos and other indigenous peoples such as the Manobos of Mindanao, Ibalois of Cordillera, and Mangyans of Mindoro. Celebrated figures of our past are all lowlander Christians and predominantly Tagalogs including Jose Rizal, the leading propagandist; Andres Bonifacio, the Katipunan founder; Emilio Aguinaldo, the revolutionary leader who declared independence; and Manuel Quezon, the first president of the Philippine Commonwealth. Non-Christians and highlanders remain unrecognized in historical narratives. Muslim Filipinos, in particular, have been subjected to negative characterization by lowland Christians in published works such as history books. This is caused by the culture of mistrust that developed between Christians and Muslims during the colonial periods. Muslim Filipinos are depicted as brutal, cruel, ferocious, and vicious as exemplified by their attacks of Christian towns. This narrow-minded view has to be reevaluated in order to correct misrepresentations of Muslim Filipinos in this age of political correctness and cultural sensitivity. Because of the need to reassess our national histories, many local stories- narratives about origins and development of a barangay, town, city, province, or an ethnolinguistic community – have been written in the last three decades. The writing of these stories broadens the scope of our national history reflective of the roles played by the country’s cultural communities in nation – building. Source: Gonzalez, M C, Madrigal, C., San Juan, DM, Ramos, DJ (2014). Chronicles in a changing world: Witnesses to the history of the Filipino people. Santillan, NM (Chapter): Diwa Learning Systems Inc: Innovation in Education, Makati.
